In April 2018, damping-off of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings at the 2-to-3-leaf stage was observed in three fields in the counties of Wharton and Matagorda of Texas and Jefferson-Davis Parish of Louisiana. All affected areas were 1 ha or greater, with 10 to 20% of the seedlings showing the symptoms. Infected seedlings showed dark-brown necrotic lesions on the roots and/or mesocotyls where white superficial mycelium was usually present. Symptomatic tissues excised from 10 diseased seedlings of each field were surface sterilized with 1% NaOCl, double rinsed in sterilized distilled water, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). The plates were incubated at 25°C with a 12-h photoperiod in a growth chamber. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gdc-0084.html After 48 h, hyphal tips of fungal colonies were transferred onto PDA and 12 isolates were obtained. Clamp connections and dolipore septa were observed in young hyphae, indicating that these isolates were a basidiomycete fungus. Young hyphal cells were binucleate based on safranin O stain (Bandoni 1979). No WB strain (ATCC 28344) causing stem rot of snap bean in Florida was further identified as M. graminum based on nuclear large subunit rRNA gene (Vinnere et al. 2005). Comparing the ITS region of this isolate (AY445120) with our isolate revealed a 99% similarity. To our knowledge, this is the first report that the SWB fungus M. graminum causes seedling blight in rice. Identification of this new disease will help to develop management strategies for control of stand loss in rice.Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) causes bacterial spot of leaves and fruits, defoliation, fruit dropping and twigs, branches or trunk cankers in most cultivated and ornamental Prunus species. The bacterium is listed as an EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation) A2 quarantine pathogen. Xap was first detected in 2019 on peach [Prunus persica L., unknown cultivar (cv.)] leaves in a 13-year-old orchard located in Irig (GPS 45°6'10.538'' N, 19°54'8.04'' E), with a disease incidence of 10-20%. Thereafter, Xap was detected in 2020 on apricot (Prunus armeniaca L., cvs. NS4, NS Rodna and Roxana) leaves and fruits in a 5-year-old orchard located in Bešenovo (GPS 45°04'59.0'' N, 19°41'23.0'' E), with disease incidence of 30-50%. Symptoms on leaves appeared along leaf midribs or margins in form of brown to black spots, with a pale green to yellow halo, evident on both leaf surfaces. The diseased area on leaves dropped out giving a shot-hole appearance, leaves turn yellow and drop prematurelyhe same as the original using PCR (1), fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of Xap in Serbia, which has occurred with a limited distribution in the Fruška Gora region (Vojvodina). Only two orchards in Serbia have been deteched with Xap so far. In the diseased peach orchard Xap was eradicated by uprooting trees. The apricot orchard is still under official control to limit disease spread. Appropriate cultivation practices, national inspection and surveillance is in place to prevent further pathogen spread and establishment to new hosts and regions in Serbia.Late blight is a devastating tomato disease. Breeding new varieties with multiple resistance (R) genes is highly effective for preventing late blight. The Ph-2 gene mediates resistance to Phytophthora infestans race T1 in tomato. In this study, we used an F2 population derived from a cross between Solanum lycopersicum Moboline (resistant) and LA3988 (susceptible) cultivars for the fine mapping of Ph-2. Two flanking markers, CAPS-1 and CC-Ase, mapped Ph-2 to a 141-kb genomic region containing 21 projected genes, 5 of which were identified as putative R genes. The Solyc10g085460 coding sequence varied significantly between the parents. The markers developed and candidate genes identified in this study shall be useful for the molecular breeding of tomato exhibiting increased late blight resistance and for the cloning of the Ph-2 gene.Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is a national second-grade protected and one of the four famous trees in China, with high medicinal and economic value. Leaf spot disease in this plant can cause the leaves to dry up, perforate or even fall off, which affects the growth and development, and also has a great influence on its products. In May 2019, the leaf spot of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen was found and observed in Chengmai County (N19°40', E110°0'), Hainan Province, China, and the symptomatic leaves were brought back to the laboratory for research; According to our survey at that time, the incidence of the disease was between 10% and 15%. A sterile stainless-steel scalpel was used to cut the tissues at the junction of the leaf lesions and placed on a clean bench, soaked in alcohol (75 %) for 30 s, and rinsed thrice with sterile water. Then it was inserted obliquely onto lactic acid-containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 28 °C for 5 days. The growing prominent colonies were singled out and re-inocuifera T. Chen products, this disease needs more attention to tackle it.Red leaf blotch (RLB) of almond, caused by Polystigma amygdalinum, is an important foliar disease of this nut tree in the Mediterranean basin and Middle East regions. In recent years, the incidence of this disease has increased in Spain, corresponding to increases in the area of newly planted orchards and the use of susceptible cultivars. In 2009, an experimental orchard including 21 almond cultivars was planted at Les Borges Blanques, Lleida, in northeastern Spain. No fungicide treatments were applied during the 10-year experimental period (2009 to 2018) in order to allow natural disease development. Cultivar susceptibility to RLB was assessed each year, from 2011 to 2018, through visual observations of symptoms in naturally infected trees. The experimental results led us to classify the cultivars into five susceptibility groups. The most susceptible were Tarraco, Guara, Tuono, Marinada, Desmayo Largueta, and Soleta, whereas Mardía was the most tolerant. The annual incidence of disease was positively correlated with accumulated rainfall in spring, and especially in April, while it was negatively correlated with high spring and summer temperatures, especially in May. These findings could be used to improve disease management strategies by identifying the most susceptible cultivars and improving the timing of fungicide application.